engineering

Richard D. Gitlin

Richard D. Gitlin is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Richard D. Gitlin rather than just read about it. In short: Richard D. Gitlin (born April 25, 1943) is an electrical engineer, inventor, research executive, and academic whose principal places of employment were Bell Labs and the University of South Florida (USF).

Key takeaways

Richard D. Gitlin belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Richard D. Gitlin to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Richard D. Gitlin from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Richard D. Gitlin (born April 25, 1943) is an electrical engineer, inventor, research executive, and academic whose principal places of employment were Bell Labs and the University of South Florida (USF). He is known for his work on digital subscriber line (DSL), multi-code CDMA, and smart MIMO antenna technology all while at Bell Labs.

Education and career Gitlin was born in Brooklyn, New York and graduated from the noted James Madison High School in 1959. He received a BEE (with honors) in electrical engineering from The City College of New York (CCNY) in 1964, followed by an MSEE in 1965 and a Doctor of Engineering Science in 1969, both from Columbia University. Gitlin's research, under the supervision of William R. Bennett, was in the area of adaptive signal processing used early machine learning techniques for signal classification and detection. After receiving his doctorate, Gitlin joined Bell Laboratories, where he worked for 32 years in research and development of digital communications, broadband networking, and wireless systems. His work there resulted in many innovative products, including: co-invention of DSL (digital subscriber line), invention of multicode CDMA (used in 3G wireless), and pioneering the use of smart antennas (“MIMO”) for wireless systems. Earlier in his career, Gitlin led the team that created the first V.32/V.34 duplex, high-speed modems that used echo cancellation, fractionally spaced equalization, and trellis coded modulation. At his retirement in 2001, Gitlin was Senior VP for Communications and Networking Research at Bell Labs (then reorganized as Lucent), leading a multi-national research organization with over 500 professionals. After retiring from Bell Labs, he was visiting professor of Electrical Engineering at Columbia University, Chief Technology Officer of NEC Labs America, CTO of Hammerhead Systems, a venture funded networking company in Silicon Valley, and in 2008 he joined USF as a faculty member. He also served on the Board of Directors of PCTEL (NASDAQ: PCTI). At the University of South Florida (USF) Gitlin was a State of Florida 21st Century Scholar, Distinguished University Professor, and the Agere Systems Chaired Professor of Electrical Engineering. Currently, he is Distinguished University Professor, Emeritus and a Professor in USF's Institute for Advanced Discovery & Innovation. At USF his research had two major themes: (1) the intersection of communications with medicine to advance minimally invasive surgery and other cyber-physical health care systems and devices, such as a vectorcardiogram that uses machine learning to provide predictive 24/7 diagnostic quality cardiac care in a compact personal device and (2) creating novel, foundational technologies to ensure ultra-reliability, low latency, and other advanced technological capabilities for the emerging 5G wireless and IoT wireless networks, as well as future 6G wireless networks. He retired from USF in 2019. Gitlin has co-authored a data communications text, published more than 175 papers, including 3 prize-winning papers, and holds 76 US patents. He currently lives with his wife, Barbara, in La Jolla, CA. Gitlin has made sustained research contributions over several decades and continues to be an influential thinker and technology leader.

Honors and awards IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal (2025) AAAS Fellow (2020) Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine of Florida (2018) Florida Inventors Hall of Fame (2017) Distinguished University Professor-University of South Florida (2013) Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) (2012) National Academy of Engineering, for “contributions to communications systems and networking” (2005) Thomas Alva Edison patent award from the R&D Council of New Jersey (2005) AT&T Bell Labs Fellow, for “contributions to data communications” (1987) IEEE Fellow for “contributions to data communications techniques” (1986) IEEE Communications Society Steven O. Rice Award (1995) IEEE Communications Society Frederick Ellersick Award (1994) Bell System Technical Journal Award (1982) Honor Societies: Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, and Sigma Xi

References

External links Richard Gitlin’s personal website iWINLAB National Academy of Engineering Dr. Richard D. Gitlin National Academy of Inventors - PDF USF’s Richard Gitlin elected to the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame Mr. Wizard’s Fantastic Voyage WUSF Interview on election to the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, April 2017 Interview at USF Remarks at Madison Wall of Distinction installation, April 29, 2018 IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal Awardees

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Richard D. Gitlin

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Richard D. Gitlin claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Richard D. Gitlin before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Richard D. Gitlin ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Richard D. Gitlin

In research: Richard D. Gitlin appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Richard D. Gitlin in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Richard D. Gitlin is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1943 births, American textbook writers, City College of New York alumni, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Richard D. Gitlin outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Richard D. Gitlin in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Richard D. Gitlin means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Richard D. Gitlin out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Richard D. Gitlin in simple terms?

Why does Richard D. Gitlin matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Richard D. Gitlin?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Richard D. Gitlin.